Method of wrapping cheese and product



Feb. 29, 1944. D. E. RICHARDSON ET AL 2,342,969

METHOD OF WRAPPING CHEESE AND PRO DUCT Filed Aug. 22. 1942 ATTORNEY.

Patented F95. 29, 1944 =METHOD F WRAPPING CHEESE AND PRODUCT DanielERichardsOn, JaeobLMiehei, minerben I. Chadbonrne, Denver, Colo, assigns to Martin Bros. 00., Denver, 0010.. a

of Colorado Application AW :2, 1942, Serial No. 455.912

Claims. (01. as-m) This invention relates to a method and means for wrapping and sealing cheese.

Heretofore tinfoil has been the only wrapping clude all air from between the ch ese and the wrappin Any air remaining would quickly create mold. v Waxed paper and other wrappings are entirely worthless due to the fact they cannot force the air from between the wrapping and the cheese. In the present war emergency, it is impossible to obtain tinfoil for this purpose.

The principal obiect of this invention is to provide a wrapping and a method of wrapping which will accomplish all of the advantages formerly obtained from tinfoil without the use of the latter and to provide a highly emcient wrapping which will automatically drive the air from under the wrapping and seal the latter to prevent reentrance of air.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detailed construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following description of the invention reference is bad to the accompanying drawing which forms apart hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing: I

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the mggllod of preparing the improved wrapping mate which slit the paper with a multitude of fine cuts or slits ii. These slits are not open perforations. I

The paper passes from the slitting rolls between two moistening rolls il, the lower one of which rotates in water within a suitable water container it. The wet, roll constantly supplies a 111m of water to the paper and squeezes this water into and through the. slits. The wetting of the paper renders it extremely soft and pliable.

. The cheese is immediately wrapped in this wet paper, as shown in Fig. 2. The paper is forced tightly and smoothly against the cheese to cause the moisture to be forced through the slits so that the paper and the cheese are separated by a thin mm of water which replaces the air.

The moist, wrapped package is then dipped into hot melted wax. as diagrammatically indicated at It in Fig. 3. The melted wax floats the surface water from the paper and seals the re-' mainder therein. The wax instantly solidifies in an impervious coating over the entire cheese, before air can enter, as shown at it in Fig. 4, in which the cheese is indicated at ll.

For some types of cheese the wax may be heated to a temperature in excess of 212 C. in which case all of the water in the paper and slits is instantly vaporized and replaced by the wax without opportunity for air to enter.

It is desired to call attention to the fact that there are no open perforations in the paper. It

has been found that open perforations allow the a I wax to enter and adhere directly to the cheese at Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a block of cheese in the new wrapping;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the dipping step of the improved process: and

Fig. 4 is a magnified section through a portion of the wrapping.

In carrying out the process, a sheet of flexible, absorbent paper It is used. This sheet is formed with a multitude of slight. elongated cuts or slits. The sheet is dampened before being wrapped about the cheese. After the cheese has been wrapped in the damp paper II the entire package is dipped into melted wax to drive off the moisture and form an impervious enclosing wax coating.

In carrying out the process, the paper III is fed from a roll it between a pair of slitting rolls It and II. The roll I! is provided with a plurality of parallel lines of cutting knives It i the perforations making it diilicult to remove the wrapper and contaminating the flavor of the cheese. It has also been found that with open perforations the wax will 'rim the hole and leave an opening or puncture for the air. In applicants paper the sides of, the slits remain together to prevent the wax from entering to the cheese but allows the air to easily escape from the cheese.

' While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, wiithout departing from the spirit of the inven- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is: 1. A method of wrapping cheese comprising: forming slits in a sheet of flexible, absorbentmaterial; moistening the sheet; wrapping the cheese in the moistened sheet; forcing the moistened sheet tightly against the cheese to force en- "trapped air through the slits; and thence dipping touching each other, moistening the slitted sheet,

wrapping a piece of cheese in the moistened sheet, forcing the moistened wrapper tightly against the surfaces of the piece of cheese so as to displace any air from between the cheese and the wrapper sheet through said slits, the opposed edges of the slits being automatically separated from one another during the last mentioned step, and then dipping the moistened wrapped package in melted wax to form an impervious coating over the entire outer face of the wrapper, without any of the wax entering the interior of the wrapper through said slits.

3. A method of packaging cheese comprising forming slits in a sheet of flexible absorbent paper, with the opposed side edges of each slit touching each other, moistening the slitted sheet, wrapping a piece of cheese in the moistened sheet, pressing the moistened wrapper into intimate contact with the surfaces of the cheese so as to displace any air from between the cheese and the wrapper sheet through said slits, the opposed edges of the slits being automatically separated from one another during the last-mentioned step, then dipping the moistened wrapped package in a bath of melted wax heated above 212' centigrade so that all of the moisture in the wrapper sheet and inthe slits will be vaporized and thus form an impervious wax coating over the entire outer surface of the wrapper.

4. A method of packaging cheese comprising forming slits in a sheet of flexible absorbent paper with the opposed side edges of each slit touching each other, moistening the slitted sheet, wrapping a piece of cheese in the moistened sheet, pressing the moistened wrapper in to intimate contact with the surfaces of the cheese so as to displace any air from between the cheese and the wrapper sheet through said slits, the opposed edges of the slits being automatically separated from one another during the last-mentioned step, then dipping the moistened wrapped package in a bath of melted wax heated above 212 C. so that all of the moisture in the wrapper sheet and in the slits will be vaporized and thus form an impervious wax coating over the entire outer surface of the wrapper, the slits remaining closed to prevent the entrance of wax therethrough and into the interior of the wrapper.

5. A cheese package comprising a piece of cheese, a wrapper therefor formed from a sheet of abmrbent paper, said wrapper having a series of normally closed slits formed therein over the entire surface thereof, said slits beingautomatically separated to permit the escape of entrapped air when the sheet is wrapped around the piece of cheese and is pressed into intimate contact with the surface of the'cheese, and an impervious coating of wax over the entire'outer surface of the wrapper.

DANIEL E. mcnsnnson. Jason L. mom moans J. omnnoonua. 

